Car-door-locking system.



H. GORDON. OAR DOOR LOOKING SYSTEM. .PPLIGATION PUED 111111115. 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

kN MVN GAR DOOR LOCKING SYSTEM. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE'15, 1911.

HoznnJa Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. GORDON.- 'CAR DOOR LOCKING SYSTEM. APPLIOAT-ION FILED JUNE 15. 1911.

Patented Aug., 6,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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entran' srarns rarnn'r orifice."

' HARRY GoRnoN,`orBo1sE.rDAHo.

' campeon-LOCKING SYSTEM.

To all whom it may concern. I

Be it `known that I, HARRY GORDON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Boise,

in the county of Ada andStateof Idaho,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Door-Locking Systems; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description Iof the invention, such as will enable vothers skilled in the art to which it appertains tol make and use the a same.

This invention relates to railway cars, and more particularly to freight cars such as those ordinarily used for refrigerator purposes, and-the object of the same is to provide a locking system for the car doors, con. t-rolled l'by the movements of the'drawheads.

4'This object is attained by the construct-ion 'described and claimed below, and shown in the drawings wherein:

Figure lis a central rvertical longitudinal sectional view of a. refrigerator car equipped' with mylo'ckingsystem, parts being'broken away and in lsection; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof on the line 2*-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a khorizontal sec'- tional view of the car'showing parts of my system plan view; Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section of two doorsshowing my invention applied thereto; Fig. 5 -is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing themeans for actuating the draw-bars for re-4 .leasing t-he doors; Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one endof a car showing more particularly the guard over the protrudingend of the draw bar; Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical transverse section of the shield and the adjacent parts'of my device; Fig. 8 is a perlspective view of the anti-friction rollers and their bracket; Fig.*9 is an enlargedjvertica-l sectional view of onefof the pipe-elbows employed, illustrating more particularly the pulley arranged therein.

In the .drawings the letter F designatesl the floor of a, freight car, more particularly those intended forrijarrying refrigerated meat, and 'W tliejside vwall thereof. in which is hinged= 'inffthe present instance a pair of doors D 'which have interlocking edges if this be a refrigerator car and which may and `preferably do have their .individwhich are slidably ual locks on the outside as .usual and `in.

addition to my'improved lockinglsystem. A The letters B designate the 'draw -bars l Specification of Letters Patent. .Appneatimmea June 15, 1911. serial no. 633,341;

mounted 'in suitable, guides beneath the car'bodyl, and on'- therunQ,

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

ning gear, and S are the springs for holding' these draw-bars against' the draftof the llocomotive which tends to draw them out or the brakes onthe locomotive which tend to compress them; thisr much ofthe structure' therefore devisedthis improved system for.

additionally locking the doors .by means which are controlled by the movements of the draw bars. If-the bolts in this system were retracted by the outward movements of.

both draw bars as whenthey were under tension, yor Vif they were retracted by the compression of both draw bars as when the train is descending a hill and'thefengine brakes are applied, unauthorized persons riding between the cars or on the running gear might lock the draw 'bars in their' then positions so .that when a' given car were later detached from the train and left on the sid.- ingit would be easyto rob it; and I therei" fore purposely construct my'system in such manner that one drawV bar or .draw' head must be drawn out and the other forced in simultaneously in order-to' retract theI bolts.' .I

'It will be. rare indeed, if ever, that a car will be left on a siding alone lor .connected up withfothers in such way thatits two draw, I headsstand in these respective positions; as a .Win be an but impassible' am they ten. attain such positions while the 'car is .cou-.

pled up ina train. Therefore to unlock the bolts controlled byrmyv system` and free the can doors, it will be necessarytofollowin fstructions here indicated in Fig.' 6l by 1111- tials anduse a special form of key-Which is V in the possession ofan authorized person, as,v will be described below.

Upon each4 drawbar'B is a cup-shaped,` l

shield 5 containing an eye 6 and having flanges 7 along its edges which move. insuit able guides S .carried by. the carbody* The eye 6 is -an apertured lug,l formed .on or secured to the -draw bar Yso'that theshield g5 partakesfbf the longitudinal movement of'- -the draw bar B beneath the car'body. Ay 1 10 `looped in its center as at l1 yand engaged i' v withfthe eye. G (which latter might be a.. pm,

cable-10 of proper. length and strength .is

stud, or hook to' engage the loop), above which the two strands of the cable are connected by a clamp 12 preferably bolted tight upon the cable so as to injure the latter slightly and purposely so' that it will break at that point rather than elsewhere4 if extra strainris thrown upon it. Above this clamp the" t-wo strands of the cable pass through a hole inthe ear floor F and between rollers or other anti-friction devices 13. Above the car floor theftwolstrands diverge from each other and vlead to-opposite sides of the car,

j thence around pulleys 14 and through tubes i the tube 1.6 when the bolt is drawn back or retracted as far as possible, so that if t-he draw head should be pulled forcibly out of the car through accident the cable would have to break and the bolt mechanism would not be injured, and as above described the l. breakage would probably occur opposite the 3() clamp 12 so that its repair would be easy. The bolt-head 21 is connected vwith the cas-4 ing 16 by a contractile spring 22 whose tendency is to project the end of the bolt beyond the free edge ofthe door D whenthe cable is slacked upon so that the bolt will engage a tubular keeper l17 in the companion door. Ipreferably mount -within the casingl' a set screw 23 having an angular vhead or thumb` piece 24 at its upper end by means of which it may be turned, anda small head 25 at its lower end to prevent it from being wholly withdrawn from the casing. The purpose of this screw is to serve as a dead latch when this system of locking is not desired to be used, for by retracting the bolt against the tension of its spring and screwing the set screw 23 downward its tip will be passed across the free end of the bolt and the lattercannot be projected by the spring. As best seen in Fig. 1, the bolts at the free edges of the two doors D are seta little out of alinement with each other so that when thecables are slacked each bolt can project across the meeting line between the two doors and er gage the keeper in the opposite door.

As best seen in Fig. l. place a sheetmeta-l guard 30 over the draw head projecting from each end of the car so as to prevent unauthorized persons trom blocking sl 'd head while it is withdrawn by the tension of the locomotive, and later gaini-ng access to the can after it has been run ott'v on a siding; but this guard is provided with a notch 31.0f a size to admit a catch 32.

whose foot may be' engaged toeither side of a lug 38 formed on the top of the draw head, and whose body above its foot contains an eye 34l adapted to loosely surround a screw-key 35 at beither side of a shoulder 3G thereon. The outer end of this key may be squared as shown at 37 or may have a crank lhandle of its own, and the inner end is threaded as at 38 to engage a threaded socket which is something like a nu-t 39 secured to the end of the car above 'the draw head. ,Finally some number or initial may be marked uponthe car, such as the letters 1). O. U. shown in Fig. 6 which means f pull out to unlock and similar letters P. I. U. on the other end'of the car which means push in to unlock, andl which'of course give' notice to the attendant or freight agent at the siding what action is necessary to operate this locking system.

However, it is quite obvious that the serial number of the car may be given him in a list and opposite it may be put the proper instructions without marking anything on the car itself.

This locking system having been installed `upon a freight car, its operation is as follows: Assuming the car is filled with refrigerated meat and the doors closed Aand locked by the usual lo'ck and seal, if the set screws 23 are raised the two bolts 2O at each side of the car will lock the two doors D together so that even if the ordinary outside look and seal are broken the doors cannot be opened. lVhen the draw bars of the car are'under tension, as when the engine is drawing on the train both draw bars are drawn outward against the tension of their springs S; and on the other hand -when the `engine is holding back as by means of its brakes, both draw bars are pressed inward against the action'of their springs S; and

in neither case are all the bolts 2() of my system disengaged. This is achieved by setting the pins or eyes 6 in such relation to the holes in the car floor F that when the draw bar springs S stand at their normal points the loop'11 at one end of the car is pressed toward the center of the car and the loop at the other end is pressed toward the adjacent endof the car as best seen in Fig. .1. lVith the construction 'therein shown, when both draw heads are drawn outward the cables at the left end of the view will be tightened and their bolts retracted, but the cables at the right end of4 the'view will be loosened and their bolts 20 will remain as they are. On the other hand, when both draw heads are pushed inward, the cables at the left of the view will be tightened -and their bolts retracted, while the cables at thevright of the view will still remain slack and their bolts will hold the doors D, locked. Thus it will be seen that in order to unlock vthe doors by my system `I do. not confine myself 4 to the specic' looks upon his private memorandum, and

then brings' into use a pair of the screw keys which are in his possession. Y Inserting -the catch. 32 '.into4 the no-tch 3l-otthe guard 230 and engaging it with the lug 33 of the draw head, he passesits eye' over the vshank- D the key tofthe proper side of its lshoulder turning vits squared ends 37', (or its handle "tudinally VThis movement is communicated pushed inl or drawn out as may be necessary to unlock' the system. The movements ot' the two draw heads,are communicated by thecablesto the boltsv 20 'in themanner openedri' The-:nf unlocking the ordinary lock ofjthe ou tsi 1'e"of these doors,"he can readily gain l'access tothe interior.

details of constructionfurther than as here#v inafter set forth', and-obviously the sizes and proportions and materials of parts are unimportant.

A llVhat is claimed as new is:

1'. A car door locking system comprising bolts .forthe doors, automatic means .for pro- .ljecting the bolts'to hold the doors normally '40 locked, and `connections betweenV said bolts vand the draw bars of the'c r coupling for overcoming said automatic means and redraw bars.- v

2. A'car door locking system' comprising bolts for the doors, automat-ic. means for projecting'thebolts to hold the doors normally locked, and connections betw/een said bolts j and the draw bars of the car coupling for tracting the .bolts by'the movements of'said tracting the bolts by the movements of the draw bars, the connections being such that one draw bar must be drawn out and the the bolts.v

jecting the bolts to hold the doorsnormally locked, and cables leading from said boltsovejrj'sutable guides1 to the draw bars' of the car ltzUupl'ing 4whereby. the movements latter -in opposition` tothe tension of the draw-.bar-springs will retractsaid bolts.

^ 4. A car door locking System comprising bo1ts lfor the doors, springs projecting the l, springs will retract said bolts.'-

36an'd inserts'the threaded end 35 into the socket into-the end .of the-car; and then by.

.above described, and when allfour bolts are, retracted ,the -our'V doors D are ready tofbe overcoming said automaticmeans 'and re-A other pushed in'simultaneously to'retract all '3f A car door locking system comprising Vbolts. for the' doors, automatic means for proj of the beltsind-ii'fidually to locl the'doors, and cables leading fromsaid-'bolts overl guides and' through the Car tloor to the draw bars of the carrouplng whereby the 4movements of the. latter against the tension of the draw-bar- 51 Acar dcor'locking system comprisingbolts for the doors, springs projecting the bolts individually to lock the doors, cablesleading fromsaid bolts oversuitable guides and downward through holes in thecar floor above the draw bars ot thecar coupling, and 'connections between the cables at one end of the car andthe draw bar there at a point on the latter between said, hole andthe end of the car, and between the cables at the -other -end ot' the car and thedraw bar'there -at a point between' the car. f

Acar door locking syst-em comprising -bolts for the doors, springs projecting .the' bolts individually t-o lock the*doors,' cablesleading from said bolts over suitable guides and downward through holes in thee-ar licor -above the draw ba'rs of the'car coupling,

bars beneath the-cardiocr and longitudinally out'of alinement with said holes, and con.-.

said hole andthe 'center of" cup sh'aped-v shields Ysecured upon the. draw.

nections betweenthecables at the ends of the' car and the interiors of said shields.

7.- A car'door locking system comprising bolts for the doors, springs projecting 4the bolts individually to 'lock the doors, cables -leading from said bolts over suitable guides and downward through holes in the car tloor above the draw bars of lthe car coupling, .shields carried by the'dr'aw bars, plait-es over' said shields and beneath said holes in the car floor, guides in which said shields and plates are longitudinally movable, and connections between the" cables at the ends of -tlhe car and the interiors of said shields.

-8. A car door locking system comprising bolts for the doors, springs projecting the bolts individually to lock the doors, cables1 leading from said bolts over suitable guidesand downward through holes inthe car floor above the draw bars of lthe car coupling, 'plates movable in guides beneath `the car floorI and over said holes therein, eyes con- .Iiected with the draw bars and with which said cables are respectively connected, and clamps engaging the cables just above said eyes. 9. In a c ar ldoor locking system, the combination With the doors, spring-actuated '.boltsfor locking'them, the draw bars of the lfiar coupling, and .connections between said bolts and draw bars, of -a lug on each draw "'ba'r,';a\ catch.v adapted to removably' engage s'adlug and having an eye through it, a

"screw-keyvadapted topass loosely through l. said eye and having a collar on its body, and a nutm the end oi. 'the car with which the ftjhrea 10. In a car door looking system, the corn-V bination with the doors, springactuated bolts for locking them, the draw bars of the car coupling, and connections between said bolts and dra7 bars; of a lug on each draw 10y be projected, a screw-key adapted to pass my hand in presence of two subscribing 'wit- 15 nesses.

HARRY GORDON. ',Wtnesses:

' GEO. A. ROBERTS,

RUDOLPH IVETTER; 

